REDCA Launches Platform for Human Rights Complaints

The Central American Network of People with HIV, REDCA+, launched its virtual platform so that the populace can register any complaints involving human rights violations. According to REDCA+’s focal point in the country, Diego Luis Grajales, one of the greatest challenges faced by people living with HIV in Belize is the stigma and discrimination. He says it is extremely important to motivate people living with HIV in Belize to condemn and make official complaints against human rights violations.

DIEGO LUIS GRAJALES

“Essentially it is to grasp the cases of violations that are done either at the workplace or the medical centers within the community and to address them. We have a legal advisor in El Salvador who will be directly leading these cases and through the focal points on other persons here in Belize we will be targeting the cases and taking care of the case.”

LOCAL REPORTER

“Primarily it’s for complaints, people have suffered human rights violations but the preference here would be for people living with HIV and marginalized HIV populations ?”

DIEGO LUIS GRAJALES

“Yeah, the preference is for persons living with HIV however we could also take reports from other key populations such as the trans populations, MSMs, lesbians and then we would refer them to the organizations for follow up but in the case that the person is a person living with HIV from one of those populations then we take the lead in the case. The site is a security certified site, it is a well-protected site even when entering the complaint it has some security questions for example there’s one asking you if you are a robot so in the case of a hacker before entering the system you have to identify things only humans can for example pictures. It is a very secure site and it’s something that you can be confident in saving your data.”

LOCAL REPORTER

“What about the response time? Let’s say I make a complaint using the site today, how long would it take to get that response?”

DIEGO LUIS GRAJALES

“The response will be right away, the legal advisor, we hired on in El Salvador to take care of all of these cases and so you will get a response right away and we would do follow up and then we would get in contact with the person and ask if they have any evidence and then go ahead from there.”